QUILLBLOG

Booze, books, and work obligations

In today’s National Post, Samantha Grice talks to authors Noel Boivin and Christopher Lombardo about their new book, The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death and Other True Tales of Drunken Debauchery (Penguin Canada). The piece focuses on how to avoid making an ass of oneself at the inevitable office holiday party.

“While it’s tempting to take full advantage of the free bar in an effort to lessen the pain of a co-worker’s dancing or a higher-up’s groping, caution and moderation when surrounded by the people who sign your paycheques (and pink slips) is advised. ‘It doesn’t work out well for anyone in the book who gets into the sauce while their employers are around,’ says Boivin, pointing to the first story in the compilation as evidence.”

As Grice reports, Lombardo “declines all office Christmas party invites as a matter of practice,” ostensibly to avoid any potential for misbehaviour. Funny, then, that the story opens with this anecdote from their book launch:

“It’s as though they learned nothing from their research. At one point during the launch party for their book, [...] Noel Boivin and Christopher Lombardo found themselves in a Guinness chug-off. It’s illuminating that they both recall taking second place (first place was won by a girl, but in their defence she was drinking lager) and the following day was painful.

‘I didn’t make it into work and I feel mildly guilty about that,’ says Lombardo. ‘It would be one thing if I couldn’t drag my carcass out of bed for the morning, but I work in the evening and by 5 p.m. I still couldn’t make it. But I thought that was what was expected of me — I’m the drinking author guy so I had to play up the part.’”

Related links:
Click here for the story at the National Post